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School of Engineering & Applied Science
Ten Penn Professors Named AAAS Fellows for 2016
Ten professors from the University of Pennsylvania have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They are among a class of 391 members honored for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.
Penn Engineers and Chemists Make Nanoscale ‘Muscles’ Powered by DNA
The base pairs found in DNA are key to its ability to store protein-coding information, but they also give the molecule useful structural properties. Getting two complementary strands of DNA to zip up into a double helix can serve as the basis of intricate physical mechanisms that can push and pull molecular-scale devices.
Penn Engineers’ Network Analysis Uncovers New Evidence of Collaboration in Shakespeare’s Plays
The question of whether William Shakespeare truly wrote every word in every scene of his plays has been circulating since the time of The Bard himself.
Penn and Michigan Researchers Discover New Rules for Quasicrystals
Crystals are defined by their repeating, symmetrical patterns and long-range order. Unlike amorphous materials, in which atoms are randomly packed together, the atoms in a crystal are arranged in a predictable way. Quasicrystals are an exotic exception to this rule.
Penn to Celebrate Ribbon Cutting for New Innovation Hub, Pennovation Center
University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann and David L. Cohen, chair of Penn’s Board of Trustees, invite Penn students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees and friends, as well as the region’s business and tech community, to a ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony from 12:30 to 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28.
Penn’s Genomics Curriculum Makes the Latest Science Accessible to High Schoolers
By Patrick Ammerman A new University of Pennsylvania effort is bringing genomics into high school classrooms through a free online resource. The goal is to make it easier for science teachers to incorporate the latest advances in science into their curricula.
Penn Scientists Receive $24 Million from National Science Foundation to Establish Mechanobiology Center
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the University of Pennsylvania a $24 Million, five-year grant to establish a Science and Technology Center (STC) focused on engineering mechanobiology, or the way cells exert and are influenced by the physical forces in their environment. This award is part of an overall $94 million from NSF to support four new STCs.
Witnessing Geology’s Impact Firsthand With Penn in the Alps
Just as summer was winding down, around the time when many students were wrapping up internships and checking packing lists for a return to campus, 13 University of Pennsylvania undergraduates flew across an ocean and began acclimating to the thin air of the Swiss and Italian Alps.
Penn’s Perry World House Announces Inaugural Undergraduate Fellows
Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania has named 25 undergraduates as the inaugural cohort of World House Student Fellows. The group of sophomores, juniors and seniors will participate each week in seminars, research projects, leadership opportunities and activities focused on pressing global issues.
Penn Research Identifies Brain Network that Controls Spread of Seizures
A flurry of coordinated activity in a brain-spanning network of neurons may sound like the formation of a brilliant new idea, but it is actually the description of a seizure. Understanding why and how this synchronization spreads would be a critical tool in treating severe epilepsy.
In the News
Scientific American
Grumpy voters want better stories. Not statistics
In a Q&A, PIK Professor Duncan Watts says that U.S. voters ignored Democratic policy in favor of Republican storytelling.
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Technical.ly Philly
A sneak peek inside Penn Engineering’s new $137.5M mass timber building
Amy Gutmann Hall aims to be Philadelphia’s next big hub for AI and innovation while setting a new standard for architectural sustainability.
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Interesting Engineering
Superhuman vision lets robots see through walls, smoke with new LiDAR-like eyes
Mingmin Zhao of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and colleagues are using radio signals to allow robots to “see” beyond traditional sensor limits.
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6ABC.com
New building at University of Pennsylvania aims to become hub for AI research
Amy Gutmann Hall, set to open in early 2025, is dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence and data science.
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Philadelphia Business Journal
First look: Inside Penn’s new Amy Gutmann Hall, the region's largest mass timber building
Amy Gutmann Hall will be a catalyst for groundbreaking artificial intelligence research and collaboration across disciplines, with remarks from Dean Vijay Kumar of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
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